A Q&A with MafiaBoy

Michael “Mafia Boy” Calce, an IT security consultant, states that the nature of hacking has changed and is now financially motivated. Calce was once an infamous hacker himself, using the handle “Mafiaboy,” who launched denial of service attacks against major websites such as Yahoo and CNN. Calce states that today’s hackers can choose from a variety of pre-made and widely available tools for attacking websites and computers and are driven by financial gain. Due to this change in motivation, Calce stresses how important it is for both individuals and companies to adopt strong security measures to protect themselves.